Puyallup apartment resident opens fire at armed intruder

by KOMO Staff

(MGN Online image)

PUYALLUP, Wash. - A resident opened fire at an intruder who broke into his apartment late Sunday in Puyallup, sending the suspect to the hospital and then on to jail.

The drama unfolded at about 10:35 p.m. when police responded to a report of shots being fired at the Chestnut Hills Apartments in the 200 block of 21st Avenue SW, said Acting Capt. Dan Pashon of the Puyallup Police Department.

When officers arrived there, the intruder was gone. Officers then learned that the intruder had been pounding on the door of the resident's apartment, and when the resident looked out he saw what appeared to be a firearm in the man's hand.

The suspect then forced his way into the apartment, and the apartment resident - who had armed himself with a pistol - fired two shots at the suspect as he broke in, Pashon said.

The suspect then fled the scene and drove off in a car.

Meanwhile, officers notified hospitals in the area to be on the lookout for someone with a gunshot wound.

A short time later a 52-year-old man who matched the suspect’s description walked into Good Samaritan Hospital with a gunshot wound. A check of the hospital parking garage found a vehicle that was registered to the man, which also matched the description of the car that had fled the apartments.

The suspect's injuries aren't considered life-threatening. After he is released from the hospital he will be booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of burglary, Pashon said.

Police say there does not appear to be any previous connection between the 33-year-old apartment tenant and the suspect.

The tenant is not being detained because he acted in self-defense of his apartment unit, Pashon said.